I am building a couple of boat storage boxes out of plywood. The size of one box is 8 feet long x 4 feet deep x 2 feet high. Another box for my propane LPG locker is about 33" long x 18" deep x 20" high. My boat is a 1973 50 foot x 15 foot Burns Craft houseboat. These 2 boxes will be installed on the Sun Deck and exposed to natures weather elements 100% of the time. The boat is a cream or bone off-white main color with orange decor stripes. I would like to have the boat boxes be close to that color but not exactly. In any case I do not want white or clear. My question is: What is the best or suitable finish protective coat to apply to the outside and the inside of the boxes before I mount then on the boat? I have considered staining first then clear varnish but I do not want the wook like appearance. The better half wants it to be a solid color. I thought about painting it with external house paint as well as fiberglass without the fiber.

Please advise on the final finish coating.

Regards, Richard in the California Delta and the San Francisco Bay

IMO I'd stick with white off-white for storage boxes. When the sun is
beating down on those bad boys it gets plenty hot with white, but with
a non-white color you wouldn't want to touch anything in them during a
sunny day.... I'm actually thinking about a propane box myself, and
would be interested in knowing if their are any regulations regarding
them.

The color is not as important right now as the method and type of coating I will select. Check out ABYC for LPG Locker standards. Also, be aware that any copper gas lines used anyplace on your boat must be LPG rated or LPG type approved. Different than refigerant copper lines - I found out after purchasing about 100 feet at Home Depot and now will have to return and purchase a second time the correct stuff. I will have to ask a professional but it might be Type K. Also, you must have a remote controlled electrical LPG cutoff solonoid located on the low pressure side of the supplu regulator. The control switch should be near to your LPG appliance or cooktop etc. Extra safety devices could also include that in the event that there is an engine fire and your fire extingusihing system goes off then the LPG is also shut off and another one if you have an engine kill emergency off switches then that also would shutoff the LPG. No need to have LPG on while under any emergency or special condition. I run four things off my LPG tanks. Cooktop/Stove, Hot Water Heater, 35,000 BTU Furnace and BBQ.

Regards, Richard - painting boat cupboard doors and drawers at home.

Hi, Richard--You've probably long since made your decision, but fwiw, there's a fellow who builds perfectly gorgeous wooden boats nearby, and he advised us that any part of our boat-in-progress that wasn't going to be underwater could just as well be painted with oil-_base_d porch paint, so, considering the price of Imron, et al, we went with the man's good - and cheap- advice. The first coat is diluted with paint thinner as a primer, and then two coats of full-strength paint, lightly sanded between coats. Some sections of the hull have been in the Carolina sunshine for a year, and so far, still look like new.

Amelia,

Thanks for the information. Actually, I had to complete another project before returning to the boxes project. I was only able to make one (never put a final finish on it) and purchase all the materials for the other four. The porch paint sounds reasonable for my applications. Also, at Home Depot and Lowes sells a plastic sheet 4' x 8' x 1/8" thick for bathroom walls. Comes in cream or white. Just glue it to the wall after cutting to fit. I have seen the same stuff in Denny's and other commercial bathrooms. It also comes in either a textured or smooth surface. Painting might be better though.

Thanks again, Richard